Edge grinding machine



A 25, 1942- N. H. KLAGES 9 EDGE-GRINDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 25, 1942 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 720M440 7% ,76 a u/ i /zwm M/JJZJMM/ ATTORNEYS Aug; 25, 1942. N. H; KLAGES EDGE-GRINDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 25, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR WW 9- 7 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 25, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDGE GRINDING MACHINE Norman 11. mages, Greentree, Pa., assignor to G. W. Klages & Son Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Appiieation'Febmary 25, 1942, Serial No. 432,210 9 Claims. (Cl. 51-105) This invention relates to apparatus for grinding the edges of plates of glass such'as constitute the window lights of automobiles. In Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,080,289, granted on my application May 11, 1937, and in an application for Letters Patent filed by me July 8, 1941, Serial No. 401,408, I have described apparatus for grinding the edges of such plates. The apparatus as previously shown and described has to do with plates of planar extent; the apparatus of this application'has to do with the grinding of the edges of plates of convex curvature, and my present invention is found in the structural features that adapt the machine to such specific use.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. I is a view in side elevation of the apparatus of the invention. (In this view certain details are diagrammatically indicated in section.) Fig. 11 is a view in plan from above, and to somewhat smaller scale, of the grinder portion of the apparatus of Fig. I. Fig. I11 is a view to larger scale than Fig. 1, showing in horizontal section a portion of the atandard in which the work-carrying shaft is rotatably home, and showing in plan the workcarrying shaft with the elaboration of the worksupporting members, in which my present invention is found. Fig. IV is a fragmentary view in elevation and section, the range of view being indicated by the broken line IV-IV, Fig. 1H. Fig. V is a fragmentary view in section, on the plane indicated at V-V, Fig. HI. Fig. V1 is a diagrammatic view showing in open position the clamps which in Fig. 111 are shown closed. Fig. VII is a view, partly in elevation, partly in section, as indicated at VII-VII, Fig. VI.

In a suitable standard I a shaft 2 is rotatably mounted. As a matter of convenience, this shaft will ordinarily be arranged in horizontally extending position. The shaft 2 carries at one or it may be at both ends,chucks equipped with clamps, for immediately engaging the work to be ground, The drawings show work G mounted in position for grinding. Co-operating with the mounted work is the grinding wheel 3. The standard, the shaft, the chuck with its clamps, the grinding wheel, the means for rotating the work, the means for varying the rate of rotation of the work, the means for varying minutely the position of the grinding wheel relatively to the axis of the work-carrying shaft-all these matters are described in the patent and'in the now-allowed application already alluded to. My present invention has to do with an elaboration of chuck grinding of the edges of plates that are of convex curvature.

The plates G are mounted pair by pair in the assembly sufliciently illustrated in Figs. I, III and VII. The plates as here shown are ofsubstantially rectangular outline. When mounted, the two plates of the pair are symmetrically and oppositely placed with respect to the axis of shaft I. Their adjacent parallel edges do not require to be ground. It is the other three edges of the two rectangular plates, the edges that in the assembly (Figs, 1', VII) constitute the edges of a square with rounded corners, that require to be ground. In this case the plates are of cylindrical curvature, and the assembled plates of the pair extend in common cylindrical curvature, The axis of that cylinder, as the plates are seen in Fig. I, is vertical; as seen in Fig. II, the cylinder axis extends in the direction of the line of sight.

Fig. I shows the grinding wheel 3 engaging the work G tangentially at a point midway in the length of one of the curved edges of the square of the assembled blanks. It is apparent that, if the work were rigidly borne upon the rotating shaft, the point of engagement of the work upon the grinding wheel would, as the shaft rotates, shift in the direction of the axis of grinding-wheel rotation, But the grinding wheel is grooved upon its face, and permits of no such shifting. The problem then,'of which my present invention is a solution, is, how to mount the cylindrically curved work, that, as the work rotates, the point of engagement with the grinding wheel shaft shall continue in fixed position in the direction of the extent of the axis of the grinding wheel.

The chuck includes a body with extended face, conveniently a circular, disk-like body 4 rigidly borne upon the end of shaft 2. The disk carries upon its face parallel flanges 5. These flanges define a trough that extends diametrically upon the face of the disk. In this trough a rocker 6 with arc-shaped face is retained, and to this rocker the work is clamped. I shall describein detail, first, the clamping means. The rocker 6 carries pairs of clamps-two pairs in all, two above and two below-and by these pairs of clamps the two plates that constitute the assembly for grinding are mounted uponand secured to the rocker.' Fig. I shows the two plates G in assembled position, and it will be observed that their adjacent edges are spaced apart, on opposite sides structure such as to adapt the machine to the of the axis of rotation; The rocker 6 carries integrally two standards 1,1; and the two plates of glass G, G come to position above andbelow these standards (of. Figs. I and VII). Each clamp consists of opposite blocks I and I. The blocks I are pivotally mounted immediately upon the body-of the rocker I; the blocks I are pivotally mounted immediately upon bell-crank levers -II, and the levers II are pivoted upon the standards I. A bridge structure spans the space between the two standards I. This structure consists of bars H, and a block I! carried by the bars in the centered position shown. From block I! extend rods II, and upon rods II heads II are mounted, and upon the rods the heads may be shifted manually. Hand-holds II are formedupon the heads I that the heads may be grasped and shifted. :I'o the heads M by links it the power arms of the bell-crank levers II are connected; and, as will be seen by comparing Figs. III and VI, by the shifting of the heads it upon the rods, the clamping blocks I are swung from the position ofrelease (Fig. VI) to the clamping position (Fig,

III). Provision is made for minute adjustability in the clamping position of blocks 9.- The links II are pivoted, not immediately upon the head II, but immediately upon levers II which in turn are pivotally carried by head II. The otherwise free ends of levers I! are connected, pair by pair, by turn-buckles II, and by the operation of the turn-buckles the pivotal points of the links to the levers il may be adjusted, minutely to vary the position of the lever-home clamp blocks I relatively to the rocker-borne clamp blocks I.

The clamp blocks I and I are advantageously faced with rubber blocks I I that make immediate be characterized the neutral position. The rollers II mounted symmetrically upon the two ends of the rocker I engage the cam at diametrically opposite'points of equal height, and the work Q in the mid-point (on the central line of Fig. III) may be understood to be engaged by the grinding wheel below. As the shaft turns, one of the opposite rollers will ride up an acclivity of the cam while theother roller rides down a corresponding declivity, with the efiect that the rocker rocks upon the face of disk I. And it is apparent that, the cam being properlyshaped, the edge of the work comes progressively to .the point of grinding-wheel engagement.

This essential structure is refined in the followin'g particulars. The rollers II are mounted upon links II that are pivotally jointed to the ends of the rocker. The disk 4 is provided with plates 21 upon the opposite faces of which rollers II borne by the links II make engagement. Thus the plates 21 become guides for the links II. in their longitudinal shifting. The plates I'I'also afford anchorage for the springs II, as will be contact with the glass surfaces. Adjustable stops II limit the range of pivotal turning of the blocks. The blocks I are additionally provided with ledges 2| |(also, advantageously, rubber-faced) upon which the adjacent edges of the glass plates G come to rest in accurately determined positions. The links II are arms of levers whose opposite (and adjustable) arms 22 carry positioning fingers II.

The operation of placing the plates in the machine is as follows. The clamps being open, as in Fig. VI they are shown to be, and the positioning fingers being in their advanced positions, a plate of glass G (cf. Fig. VII) is brought to place, resting upon the ledges II of the blocks I on the opposite sides of the machine, and in position defined laterally by the fingers II. The upper of the two heads I is then advanced from the position shown in Fig. VI to that shown in Fig. III, and in that advance the plate is clamped. The companion plate G is similarly applied and secured.

Comparing Figs. I and 111, it will be seen that, in order to cause the grinding wheel I continuously to engage the edge of the shaft-borne convexly curved work, the work must so swing as it turns that the point of engagement with the grinding wheel is fixed in the direction of the extent of the grinding-wheel axis. Such flxedness in position is maintained by the properly controlled swing of the work-carrying rocker I in the trough defined by the flanges 5 upon the face of disk 4.

The standard I of the machine carries rigidly a cylindrical cam-plate 24, mounted concentrically with shaft 2. The rocker I is equipped with rollers 25 that ride the edge of the camplate 24; and springs I8 exert their tension upon the rocker, to maintain the rollers in engagement with the cam. In Fig. III the shape .of the edge of the cam-plate is sufiiciently well indicated. The position shown in Fig. III may seen on comparing Figs. III and IV.

The rocker I is held from displacement longitudinally of the trough that contains it by means of a link 29 uniting it to the face of the disk. Such union will, as the rocker rocks cause minute slippage between the meeting faces of disk and rocker, but the slippage is insignificant.

It is impossible that a succession of plates to be ground shall be perfectly uniform in shape;

and no clamping and rotating means can make allowance for such extraneous and accidental irregularity. In the grinding apparatus, however, I make accommodation to such irregularity. The grinding mechanism includes the grinding wheel I mounted for rotation in an arm II and arm II is pivotally mounted for vertical swing upon a carriage II. The swinging arm carries not only the grinding wheel but also means for rotating the grinding wheel, here shown as an electric motor I4, and the swinging arm is counterweighted, so that always throughout the range .of turning of the work the rotating grinding wheel bears yieldingly upon the edge of the work. The articulation of the arm to the carriage II is in a joint I2 having the capability of permitting swing both in vertical and in horizontal planes. Such joint by minute-horizontal swing automatically makes accommodation to the small irregularities alluded to, and renders them ineffective.

Hold-away cams II, II, secured (adjustably) to disk 4 engage disks II, mounted upon the axle of the grinding wheel and maintain the grinding wheel in position as it crosses the gap between the plates in the progress of rotation.

In operation, when the shaft 2 rotates, the rocker I, which is the work carrier, is, by its engagement with the cam 24, rocked upon the face of the disk 4, and the work is tipped with respect to the axis of shaft rotation. It is, generally speaking, a matter of engineering, so to organize this tipping of the work as to achieve the end described.

I have said that the plates whose edges are to be adapted to'operate upon any convex blankcylindrical, conical, spherical or other. It is manifest that the machine may be adapted to th the simultaneous grinding of grinding of the edges of plates of any curvature whatever by appropriate shaping of the cam. The shaping of the cam may be a matter of calculation, or it may be effected by the cut and try method formed upon one piece of a plurality of identical pieces of work. 1

Fig. II shows the grinding wheel 3 to be provided upon its face with two grooves adapted for the reception of the work in grinding, and it will be manifest to one acquainted with this art that, accordingly, the rocker 6 may carry two pairs of plates G to be ground, held by the clamps 8, 9 and spaced from one another by suitable spacing members in a spacing that corresponds to the spacing of the grooves in the face of the grinding wheel.

As indicated in Fig. II, it may be found convenient to organize in a single machine a plurality of grinding wheels 3 and a corresponding plurality of blank supporting structures such as that illustrated and described, and so to provide for the edges of blanks mounted in multiple units, each in the manner shown and described.

The features illustrated in Fig II, and here noted, are described in the specification of my application, now allowed, Serial No. 401,408, filed July 8, 1941.

I claim as my invention:

1. Apparatus for grinding the edge of a curved plate including a grinding wheel, a rotatable shaft mounted in parallelism with the axis of the grinding wheel, a work carrier borne by the shaft and adapted to be tipped relatively to the axis of shaft rotation, and means made effective by the rotation of the shaft for tipping the work carrier as the shaft rotates.

2. Apparatus for grinding the edge of a curved plate including a grinding wheel, a rotatable shaft mounted in parallelism with the axis of the grinding wheel, a body with extending face borne by the shaft, a work carrier engaging the face of the shaft-borne body, the shaft-bome body and work carrier making abutment permissive of tipping of the work carrier relatively to the body, and a cam with which the work carrier is in engagement adapted as the shaft rotates to effect tipping of the work carrier relatively to the face of the shaft-borne body.

3. Apparatus for grinding the edge of a unidirectionally curved plate including a grinding wheel, a rotatable shaft mounted in parallelism with the axis of the grinding wheel, a disk borne by the shaft, a rocker adapted to rock upon the face of the disk, the said rocker being equipped with clamping means for the work, and a cam with which the rocker is in engagement adapted as the shaft rotates to effect the rocking of the rocker.

4. In apparatus for grinding the edges of curved plates including a rotatable grinding wheel borne upon an arm pivoted for swinging in a plane transverse to the axis of grinding-wheel rotation, a rotatable shaft mounted in parallelism with the axis of the grinding wheel, a work carrier borne by the shaft and adapted to be tipped relatively to the axis of shaft rotation, means made effective by the rotation of the shaft for tipping the work carrier as the shaft rotates, the pivot that bears the grinding wheel being jointed whereby the distal end of the arm may swing in a plane perpendicular to that of the swing of the arm as a, whole in its pivotal mounting first defined.

5. In apparatus for grinding the edge of a curved plate that includes a grinding wheel, a rotatable shaft mounted in parallelism with the axis of the grinding wheel, a disk borne by the shaft, a work carrier abutting upon the face of the disk, a cam rigidly mounted relative to the rotating shaft, links pivoted to the work carrier, rollers borne by the links, means holding the link-borne rollers to engagement with the cam,

and guides for the links rigidly borne by the said disk.

6. A work carrier for a plate consisting of a body carrying pivotally two symmetrically disposed levers, two pairs of clamping blocks, one block of each pair pivotally borne by the body and the other blocks of the pairs pivotally borne severally by the levers, and means for swinging the levers simultaneously.

'7. The structure of claim 6, together with means for adjusting simultaneously the range of swing of the said levers.

8. A work carrier for. a curved plate consisting of a convex-faced rocker, with two rearwardly extending spaced-apart standards, two levers pivotally borne severally upon the said standards, a bridge structure carried by said standards including a block bearing a stem, a head movable upon said stem, linkage between said levers and said head, whereby the levers are swung in accord with the movement of the head upon the stem, and two pairs of clamping blocks, one block of each pair pivotally mounted on the rocker and the other blocks pivotally mounted one on each of said levers.

9. The structure of claim 8, the head bearing two levers and means for adjusting the lastnamed levers radially in their positions upon the said head, the said'linkage between the standardborne levers and the head being completed through the levers borne by the head, whereby adjustment in their positions of the levers borne by the head effects corresponding adjustment in the range of swing of the standard-borne levers.

. NORMAN H. KLAGES. 

